An increased interest has developed for advanced sound reproduction systems capable of providing different sound in different spatial portions of a listening environment, also called individual sound zones (ISZ). At least two different sound zones are provided within one listening environment and the sound to be reproduced and presented to listeners in each sound zone may be different. The listening environment may be, for example, the interior of a vehicle, such as an automobile.
Such a sound system is tuned to optimize sound quality for each sound zone. The system relies on loudspeakers strategically placed within the listening environment, such as in a headrest and/or in a headliner of the vehicle interior. However, a master volume control is the only source for setting the volume. Therefore, listeners in each sound zone do not have the capability to set a listening volume preference for their individual sound zone. Furthermore, in known individual sound zone systems, stereo sound is not always preserved in a manner that optimizes sound quality for each sound zone, particularly when volume adjustments are made.
There is a need for independent volume control of individual sound zones that also preserves audio quality in each sound zone.